The other side
by disassemble
Summary: This takes place in season 5 after episode 11, when Roger starts to suspect Kate is part of little Ben's disappearance. Except in my version, Roger ignores Jack's advice and reports Kate to Horace the same night. Character death, flashbacks, and minor fluff with serious Jate and Suliet!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

This takes place in season 5 after episode 11, when Roger starts to suspect Kate is part of little Ben's disappearance. Except in my version, Roger ignores Jack's advice and reports Kate to Horace the same night, and Miles is successful in deleting the tape with James (Sawyer) and Kate taking Ben. Therefore we don't have the problem with Phill.

Most of the flashbacks are from what's actually in the show, but I will add a few of my own ideas for dramatic purposes. Cause y'know. Drama. Dharma. Lol ok let's get started! *whispers*Dharma drama...

* * *

 _Bang Bang Bang!_ Roger banged on the door of Horace Goodspeed's medium sized, yellow dharma house.

"Damn it, now what?" Horace said aloud to Amy. He got up from the bed he had been laying in with Amy and walked to the door. _Bang band bang!_ Roger banged on the door again impatiently. Roger opened it, clearly annoyed, to a partially drunk Roger.

"What do you want, Linus?"

"Horace, listen to me, she did it! I know she did! She's one of them! She took my boy!" Rambled Roger as he pushed his way into Horace's living room where Amy stood confused.

"Uh, Amy...Um..." Horace gave her a look that she almost instantly understood. She smiled at Roger, and walked back into the bedroom silently. "Roger, what's going on? Slow down."

"Horace, that girl, the new one with the dark hair and freckles...Kate I think.." Roger took a breath and continued slowly, "I think - no - I know she has something to do with my boy being taken."

"What'd ya mean? Austen? How could she-"

"When Ben disappeared, I didn't see her until a few hours after he'd been gone. And then she comes to me later and says I shouldn't worry and he'll be okay, and then when I asked her what she meant - Horace, it's her."

Horace looked Roger straight in the eyes for a good five seconds, processing what he was just told. He took a deep breath, and grabbed a rifle, storming out of the house with Roger right behind him.

Kate opened her fridge and bent over to peer inside. The dharma initiative kept everything stocked well, including the refrigerators of their employees. She reached in to grab a white carton of orange juice. She still had her blue dharma jumpsuit around her waist, but she had taken off her socks and shoes. Her feet were tired from the long day it'd been - taking Ben to the Others, and then for the rest of the day she tried to aquatint herself with the motor pool and its tools, but she mostly ran errands for Juliet.

Jack was visiting with James and Juliet at their house, when the three of them stop their conversation at the sound of a loud thud - the sound of Kate's door being kicked in.

Just as Kate started to pour orange juice into her glass, _thud!_ Her door had been kicked in, causing her to jump and drop her glass on the cold, hard tile floor.

Jack, James, and Juliet rushed outside in time to see two angry men with guns storm into Kate's house.

"What the hell?" Said Juliet, honestly expecting no response.

"Kate." Said Jack and James simultaneously.

Jack started to dash over to her house, but was stopped by James's arm.

"Stay here, doc." Said James, in his calm voice that still clearly displayed worry.

Jack stayed put on the porch with Juliet and watched as James walked quickly over.

Kate stood in the corner of the kitchen, with her hands up by her head.

"W-what's going on?" Kate's voice hesitated.

"Shut the hell up, you know exactly what's going on!" Roger shouted at her.

"I-I think there's been a mistake" started Kate. "I don't kn-"

"shut the hell up!" Roger shouted again, slower but louder. This made Kate shift in fear, causing her to step on the broken glass she dropped moments before.

"Ah!" Kate said quietly in pain.

"Yo, what the hell's goin on in here?" Asked James as he walked in.

"LaFleur, tie her hands" Horace ordered.

"How 'bout you answer my question first?"

"Shes one of them. She's the one who took my boy!" stated Roger, Horace still pointing his gun at Kate.

James sighed as he shot a glance at Kate, before walking to the motor pool to get zip-ties.

"James, what's going on? Where's Kate?" Jack asked, as he walked quickly behind James.

"James?" Juliet pried after there was no response to Jack's question.

"Listen to me, they figured it out about Kate" started James as he continued walking swiftly to the motor pool. "I ain't got no choice, or they'll figure it out 'bout me, too. If that happens we ain't got no chance here...or ta help Kate. Y'all just gotta let me do my thing, I gotta plan. Ya just gotta trust me, got it?"

"Y-yeah." Jack said, stopping in his place even as James continued walking, Juliet hurrying behind him.

"James, what-" started Juliet.

"Where do ya keep the zip ties?" James sighed as he started rummaging through the metal motor pool drawers.

"What?" Juliet asked in surprise, pretty sure she knew what they were for.

"Where are they?" He asked again, this time stopping to tower over her in order to get an answer.

Juliet sighed and closed her eyes, before answering, "second drawer from the top, all the way on the left."

James yanked it open, then pulled out two zip ties.

He returned to Kate's house with them clutched in his hand. He clearly - at least to Jack - did not have a plan. He was panicked, and fumbling over his own thoughts racing around his mind. _Damn it, Jack. We'd made a life here, and then you all came back._ Things _already_ were starting to decline rapidly. The 'mix-up' at sign-in with Kate? The burning dharma van? The fire? And now Sayid? And Ben? There was too much happening too fast.

"Here" said James, handing Roger the zips ties.

Roger walked over to Kate and turned her around, and slammed her face onto her kitchen counter while tying her hands behind her back.

"Wait, I need shoes" said Kate, once again cutting her feet on the broken glass as they started to march her out of her house.

"No ya don't" said Horace.

James couldn't say anything to help her, not without blowing it all. All he could do was shoot her a regretful glare as she was forced by by Roger.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Yes I know Lost ended several years ago, but I found it on Netflix and I love it! Binged all the way through it😂

I'll update when I can. Please review! Thanks for reading 3


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter! Yes, I guess Horace would've looked for more evidence. Hehe, didn't think that through very well?This is my first ever fanfic and I've always been a cheesy writer, but I'm glad y'all liked it! To be honest, I didn't think I'd get anyone to read it XD right then, here we go!**

 **Oh, and by the way, if you see a word with asterisks it's because I typed this on another platform before editing it here, and that platform uses asterisks for the coding for italics XD**

By now, it'd been about 2 hours since they forced Kate out of her house and into the cell that Sayid had been in, only a day before. Her hands were still tied with zip ties, but they had been kind enough to put her hands in front of her when they put her in the cell. She could hear a group of men outside of the jail door, arguing about what to do with her. The concrete floor was cold, and now smeared with blood from her cut feet pacing around. She didn't know how long she paced back and forth, but it was long enough for the rock hard and freezing floor to get to her. For a while now she'd been sitting in her creaky cell bed, trying to dig out pieces of glass, and clearing debris from the barefooted walk from her house to the cell.

"Hold up! That guy, that other janitor! Said he knew her. Maybe he can get somethin outta her" Kate could make out from one of the voices.

"Look, I don't think that-" she could clearly recognize as James.

She heard more unclear yelling, before their voices dropped in volume, too low for her to make out clearly. Only five minutes later, Jack was pushed into the room. Kate looked up from tending to feet which had stopped bleeding for the most part, but were still raw with tiny pieces of glass sill inside the closing wounds.

"Jack." Kate tried to hide the beat up soles of her feet, but Jack saw a glimpse of them, at first puzzled, but when he noticed the blood dragged across the cell floor, he put it together.

"Kate, w-what happened? What'd they do to you?" Jack questioned.

"Nothing, Jack. They didn't do anything to me."

"Kate, stop trying to lie me."

Kate was swept over with guilt as she heard Jack's plea. She knew he wasn't only talking talking about right then, in fact, that was probably the last thing he was talking about. Kate looked up to try to stop a tear from flowing down her face. "They didn't do this to me, Jack. I did."

Jack knew that she had told him the truth. She didn't have to save Ben. But she was trying to help, as she always had been. When she gave her blood to Ben, and took him to the Others so they could save him, it was her mother instinct kicking in. She left Aaron, and maybe this was her trying to make up for it.

Kate pressed her lips together and recollected herself. "You should go."

"Kate-"

"Jack, please. Just go."

"No. No, I want to look at your feet first, then I'll go." Jack said firmly.

"Thanks for your concern, but I don't care to walk on the cold floor." The floor really wasn't the problem to Kate. It was the tiny shards and fragments of glass in her raw soles that she knew would cause her pain to put weight on.

Jack looked down shaking his head. He turned from Kate to open the jail door and walk out. When he stepped back into the main room, James, Roger, Horace, and some other dharma security were waiting for him.

"Did ya get anything outta her?" James said, just trying to play along as so not to expose himself.

"I want a first aid kit. I want peroxide, tweezers, bandages, and painkillers." Demanded Jack without answering James's question.

"Hold on there, cowboy, We ain't helpin her out till she talks." Said Phill.

"She ain't talkin till she gets medical attention." Replied Jack.

The men looked at each other, then looked back at Jack.

"You can have the first aid kit, but if she doesn't talk-" Horace trailed off. He didn't need to finish.

They sent Jack back in with everything he asked for and unlocked Kate's cell, then locked the jail door from the outside, leaving Jack and Kate locked in with just the two of them.

"Thought you left," Kate remarked somewhat bitterly.

"No. I told you, I want to look at your feet first." Jack walked into her cell and to the bed she was sitting on.

"Why do you care?" She asked him suddenly, as he bent down to look at her scarred soles.

"What?"

"Why do you still care about me? After everything that's happened, why would you still care what happened to me?"

"Kate..." Jack wanted to address her question, but how? How could she think that after all they've been through together that jack _wouldn' t_ care? "This, uh, this is gonna hurt." Jack said, deciding to avoid her question.

Kate inhaled sharply as Jack poured peroxide over her wounds. She was sure that they'd closed - until now.

"Sorry. Do you feel any glass in your feet?"

"Yeah, yeah. I wasn't able to get a lot out. It, um, hurt too much to try harder." Kate didn't usually speak when she needed help, or something hurt, but her pain was obvious and Jack would still figure out that there was still glass in her feet.

"Well, I can't numb your feet, not with what I have, but take these," Jack said, handing her two pills, "They'll start working in a few minutes."

"I think alcohol works better" Kate joked as she swallowed the painkillers.

Jack chuckled. Kate was always good at lighting up an awkward or painful moment, even without having to speak. Jack had rarely ever seen her spirits down, and when he had, she still somehow managed to stay strong and push through.

 _That's what I love about you,_ he thought.

"Hold still as best you can"

 ** _Flashback_**

"Is that what this is about? You knew about this?" Kate couldn't believe it. She couldn't go back. She was free now. She had Aaron. She couldn't leave him, but she couldn't take him to that place.

"No, no I was-" Jack started.

"And That's why you're pretending to care about Aaron? To convince me to go back there?"

"I wasn't pretending anything!" Jack meant it, he wasn't pretending to care. How could he have known that it was _Ben_ trying to take Aaron? He knew that the goal was to get her to come back, but the fact that Ben used her son to bring her there? Jack hated it, but for some reason wasn't surprised.

"This is - this is insane you guys are crazy!"

"Kate-"

"JACK! Don't!" She felt betrayed. He used the situation with Aaron to get her there. Kate got in her car and drove away.

 _ **End of flashback**_

Kate hissed with pain as Jack pulled he last visible piece of glass out of her foot. Jack had already taken everything out of her other foot and bandaged it. He worked in silence, concentrating deeply on the task in front of him. His gentle hands were steady as he grabbed the glass with tweezers and pulled it out, being as careful as he could not to hurt her.

"All fixed" Jack broke the silence that hung in the room. "Try to stay off of them as long as you can" He said, while covering her foot with bandages.

"Yeah, well, we'll see what they'll say about it" Kate replied, motioning her head towards the jail door. They both chuckled a bit.

Now came the hard part - deciding what to tell the waiting men outside.

* * *

 **Hey y'all! Thanks for reading! Remember to leave a review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! I'm glad to hear y'all are enjoying it! And YAS MAN JATE! WHOO HOOO! Lol ok, here we go!**

 _ **Flashback**_

Kate watched through the window as James walked back to the infirmary. She looked over her shoulder at Jack. How could he do this? Ben may have grown up to be the one to cause them suffering, but he was the sweetest child. He was just a child. Kate turned from the window and walked into the kitchen where Jack was. Maybe she could change his mind. Maybe he would do it if she asked him. "What are you doing?!" She asked.

"Making some sandwiches. Figured everybody'd be getting hungry by now" Jack dodged her question, knowing what she really meant.

"He's just a _boy_ , Jack, you can't just let him die." She knew he knew what she meant. He wouldn't turn to face her, and he answered as if he already planned what to say to her.

He finally turned to face her, with a defensive stance. "You heard Miles. We can't change what's happened; this has nothing to do with me."

"Unless the _you're_ one thats supposed to save him"

This made Jack think, but only for a few seconds before he pushed it out. He'd come back because of something he felt he was _supposed_ to do. He believed now that there was something that he was _supposed_ to do. But surely it couldn't be this! How could it possibly be saving the man who caused them so much pain, who took the lives of so many? "Thirty years from now, that boy's gonna be a man, that locks me in a cage because he needs surgery. And then you're gonna come in, and beg me to operate on him, because he's threatening to murder Sawyer," Jack chuckled sarcastically before finishing. "I've already done this once, I already saved Benjamin Linus and I did it for you, Kate. I don't need to do it again."

 _ **End of Flashback**_

Jack felt the guilt building up by the minute, weighing on his shoulders. Had he gone with James to stop Ben's bleeding, had he just done it one more time, Kate wouldn't be where she is, and no one would suspect a thing of any of them. If only he could make it right, if only he could _fix_ it, but it was too late now. He had his chance to fix it, to prevent this, but he let his pride, his anger, step in instead.

"Kate, when I go back out there, they're gonna expect you to have said something, or talk to them, anything."

"What're you saying, Jack?"

"Just tell them the truth. Tell them that you took him to the hostiles so they could help him. Maybe they'll-"

"'Maybe they'll' what, Jack? Decide to believe me? Understand why I took him?"

Jack could only think of what to say next, but stumbling over each scenario in his head clouded the words he tried to find. She was right. It was too late to reverse this. Now the only option was to _run._.

Jack stood up to leave. He reached the jail door, before turning around to say one more thing. "Just hang on, Kate. And I'll see you on the other side."

Kate sat on the creaky cell bed, wanting to respond somehow, but every word seemed to abandon her.

Jack waited a few seconds for a reply, a comment, _anything_ from her. When there was nothing, he pounded once on the jail door. "We're done here" he semi-yelled through the thick door. He was soon let out, and the door immediately locked behind him.

"From now on, an armed guard stays outside this door at all times. No one goes in without two other men present" Horace said firmly.

Phil let Jack back in after hearing the pound and locked the door right behind him.

"What do we have?" Radzinsky asked Jack.

"Well, uh, I think one of you should talk to her." Jack said, unsure of what to say. Kate didn't say anything, but Jack still knew what happened. He though _maybe_ , if he was lucky, James could go in to 'talk to her' and sort things out. That was the best chance Kate had now. James. "Where's uh, where's Roger?" Jack questioned, noticing he wasn't there.

"We sent him home" Replied Horace. "You should go home to."

"Yeah, uh, yeah I'll do that" Jack walked out. There was nothing more he could do, and the feeling of helplessness grew on him.

"We should shoot her." Radzinsky said out of the blue.

"What?" Phil asked.

"We all hesitated with the first one. Jarrah. We hesitated. We waited too long. And when we finally voted to shoot him, it was too late. And look what that did. He got out, he shot Ben, and he knows about the Swan." Radzinsky explained.

James had a lot to say, but how to say it without messing everything up. He couldn't help Kate if he said anything wrong. Anything to set off any suspicion. He had already taken risks with Sayid.

"We call Ann Arbor first thing after sun-up. Depending on what they say, we'll go from there." James said, hoping to stall as long as possible. The other men simply nodded, giving James the smallest spark of hope. Things would still be very difficult, in fact, they were only slightly shy of impossible.

Jack was pacing back and forth on the floor of James and Juliet's house. "What do you think is goin on?" Jack asked nervously.

"You just saw her, Jack. You know better than I do what's going on." Juliet said.

By this time, Miles, Hurley, and Jin heard about it and came over, waiting for news. There wasn't much talking; they all sat in their own little worlds, dazed out of their surrounding, only brought out of their daydreams by the door suddenly being violently opened.

"James" Juliet greeted the man who came through the door, standing up from her seat on the couch next to Hurley.

"Listen," James started, making sure to close the door behind him. "Go to your houses, pack what you can-"

"James-" Jack started.

"Only what you carry. Meet back here in twenty minutes." James said, ignoring Jack.

" _James!_ What about Kate?" That was the first thing on Jack's mind.

James just stared blankly at Jack. He himself didn't think of a plan for Kate yet; he meant to think of one while packing, and discuss it when the group met up again afterwards. "We're bustin' her out," he answered after a few moments. He didn't mean for that to bounce off his tongue. He didn't even have a chance to think about it, or realize what he was going to say. It just came out, completely unplanned. Everyone just stared at him, shocked.

"Dude..." said Hurley, at no one in particular.

"When we got her, everyone needs to be ready to go. Jack, Miles, Jin, pack as fast as you can, meet me here. Juliet, I'm gonna need you and Hurley to get everyone's stuff in a van, and go to grid 23 (A/N: I completely made up the grid number. I dunno what grid is where I need 'em to be at XD uh, it's by the pylons...that are closest to the creek...that's all I got...). If we're not there in an hour..." James hesitated. He didn't want to think about what it would mean if he and the other men didn't make there, but he had to make sure everyone who could, could get out. "If we're not there an hour, you guys need to get out. The code for the sonar fence is 141717".

Everyone left James's house to pack what they could.

James and Juliet went into their bedroom, and started packing in their own duffle bags. They worked for a few minutes in silence, neither one knowing what to say. Then Juliet started crying. She was scared - for herself, for James, and for Kate. She just spent the last three years with these people, the dharma initiative, and now they had to run from them. From the lives that they built, the friends they made, and the trust they gained. It would all be gone. But the worst part was that the people who she had come to trust were now threatening the life of one of her friends. She and Kate had become good friends, despite how they even met and ended up in the same boat in the first place.

"Hey, hey." James tried to soothe her as he stopped what he was doing to hold her to his chest.

"James, what's gonna happen?"

 **As always, thanks for reading and make sure to review! I should be able to update again within the next couple of days ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: hay y'all! Almost forgot about chu...heh...PLES DUN KULL MEH**

Jack ran straight to his house and started packing as fast as he could. He didn't even bother to fold clothes - he just grabbed them off hangers and stuffed them in his bag. When he was done packing clothes, he took the bag to the kitchen and set it on the counter. He threw in granola bars, crackers, just small snacks that would hopefully last him the first few days. Then he filled 3 water bottles and shoved them in. He threw the bag over his shoulder and flew out the door and off to James's house.

"Jack" Juliet greeted him as he came in the door.

"Wh-where's James?" He asked, noticing the southerner's absence.

"He went over to Kate's house to grab her shoes. He's already done packing. We just have for Miles, Hurley and Jin now."

Jack just nodded in response.

Only a few moments later, James came back with Kate's boots, followed by Jin. Now they needed Miles and Hurley.

Hurley, as the chef, had keys to the kitchen. Planning ahead, he went there first to pack some food for the group. They were running. Back into the jungle. This meant they would have to fish again, climb tress for fruits, and possibly even hunt boar again. Hurley didn't know how long it might be to bust Kate out, or to get to a safe place away from dharmaville, or to get on their feet by wherever they decided to camp. So, he packed food. Only what he could in a single backpack. Hurley planned it so that everyone could eat plenty for at least two days; that should be enough time. When he had packed plenty of candy bars, canned fruits and veggies, and peanut butter, he went to his house to quickly pack a few changes of clothes.

Violent knocking on James's door alerted the current occupants that someone was there. James frenzied over to the door, and let in an out-of-breath-Miles. Miles had rushed to pack, and ran straight over to James's house, but no one could beat Jack's time crunch.

"Hugo on his way?" James asked, irritated at the fact that Hugo was taking only a few minutes longer. As if on cue, Hurley let himself into the house.

"Dudes, sorry I took so long. I got food for us all. A couple days worth." Hurley said, trying to make up for the time he'd taken.

"Good thinking, Hurley" Juliet said to him, in her understanding and calm tone. She herself had packed a backpack full of things from the cupboards of the 'LaFleur home'. "I got a van just out back, help me carry these bags and we can be on our way to grid 23."

"Sure, dude" Hurley agreed, immediately grabbing a bag from Jack and Miles. Juliet carried hers, Jin's and James's bags, and she would come back for the backpacks of food that she and Hurley had packed. Except for the two bags of food, everyone was able to make it in one bag. James had run over to Kate's house and not only grabbed her shoes, but he stuffed a few changed of clothes into his bag so she could change into a clean outfit when they got out of there. Hurley and Juliet headed out the door with the bags and to the dharma van which was hidden behind the yellow house.

"All right, listen up boys," James started to lay out the plan to the other men. "Horace set a rule: there's an armed guard outside the door at all times, and I gotta have two other men there to go in. Now, they ain't gonna go for me takin' in a janitor, especially since he knows 'er. Miles, Jin, you'll be my two. Jack, you'll stand outside and stall anyone who tries to come in somehow."

Then Juliet walked in to take the last two backpacks out to the van. Just before she walked back out the door, she turned back around to say something to James. "Just don't get killed, James."

James just nodded in response as she walked out the door. She and Hurley were ready to head out to grid 23. As Juliet got in the drivers side of the car, she could almost here Hurley thinking. "They can handle it, Hurley."

"Yeah" responded Hurley absentmindedly. With that, they were on their way.

James entered the monitoring room with Miles and Jin. Phil was standing in front of the jail door with a rifle.

"Hey Phil. We're gonna need in there." James said.

"May I ask why?"

"We're moving her to Hydra Island. They have better facilities to hold her." James lied. He could've just knocked out Phil with his gun, but he could also walk out. James chose to walk out.

"Now? At _this_ hour?" Phil questioned.

"I said, Horace said, so...You wanna question that?"

"No, sir." And with that, Phil moved out of the way of the door and let the three men in.

Kate was laying down on the jail bed with her feet flat on it and her knees bent, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes were rimmed with red from stress and lack of sleep. She had been sulking in everything that happened. When they were on the island the first time, back in LA, and even the events of that day.

 _ **Flashback**_

"Well, fear's sort of an odd thing." He said, panting slightly from the pain. "When I was in residency, my first solo procedure was a spinal surgery on a 16-year-old kid. A girl. And at the end, after 13 hours, I was closing her up and I...I accidentally ripped her dural sack. Shredded base of the spine, where all the nerves come together. Membranes, stenos tissue, so it-it ripped open, and the nerves just spilled out everywhere like angel hair pasta. Spinal fluid flowing out of her and...and the terror was just so...crazy, so real. And I knew I had to deal with it. So, I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing, but only for 5 seconds. That's all I was gonna give it. So I started to count. 1...2...3...4...5. And it was fine. I went back to work, sewed her up, and she was fine."

"If that'd been me, I think I would've run for the door." She answered. Running was all she knew to do when things were wrong.

"No, I don't think that's true. You're not running _now._ "

 ** _End Flashback_**

The truth was, she _was_ running.

 **A/N: So yah...as always, leave a review! Sorry for taking so long to update 😅😂**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: who's ready for the next chapter?! Well guess what! Bad news, this ain't it. Just kidding, lol. Let's get To business, shall we?**

James stepped into the jail, followed by Miles and Jin. Kate didn't seem to notice them - she seemed as if she was somewhere else, somewhere trapped inside her mind. She was shoulder-deep in memories of every single day since the crash over 3 years ago, or 30 years from now.

"Kate." Jin nudged, noticing how distanced she seemed. She looked miserably tired, and like she had been crying. "Kate!"

Finally, Kate snapped out of her daze, and turned her head to look over at the three men standing outside her cell. She just sat up and and looked at them. What should she say? "Hi"? "Hey what's up"? Sometimes there are no words to speak.

"We got some shoes for you outside, where Jack is." James said as he unlocked the cell door. Kate just nodded and stood up to walk out to where James was standing. She was still thinking, still regretting so much, still struggling to find words to say. Should she just tell James she was sorry for messing up the life he had here? And what would she say to Jack? Jack. That was the last person she wanted to see right now, and yet, she was inwardly begging to see him, even though she didn't know why or what she would say. James gently grabbed her right arm, and led her out of the jail. Phil bought James's lie, and they walked right out.

 _ **Flashback**_

"Stop" Kate said as she stood up.

"Miss Austen, please sit down." The judge said sternly.

Jack just looked at her. What was she doing? This was her only chance for freedom left, and she was about to mess it up. Jack felt bad about the lie that he hold as he was under oath, but he didn't feel bad for helping Kate. He felt as though he owed it to her. They hadn't spoken since a few days after they'd gotten back to the real world, and Jack was surprised when he got the call from his lawyer. He'd seen the whole thing about the trial on the news, but he just didn't know what he could possibly do.

"This has nothing to do with...with anything. This is my trial and I don't want him to say anything else." Kate said. She didn't want him to lie for her. Jack was the one who'd found water, Jack was the one who gave first aid, and Kate felt that she did nothing good for anyone there. She didn't want to listen to anymore.

"It's fine. I have no more questions, your honor." Her lawyer said as he went back to his seat.

"Miss Dunbrook, your witness." The judge said to the prosecutor.

"That was very moving, Dr. Shepard" Dunbrook said. "I only have one question for you: do you love the defendant?"

"Objection!" Kate's lawyer said as he stood up.

"You opened this door, Mr. Forester. I'm going to allow it." The judge said.

Jack's heart was racing now. What should he say? If he said yes, he would be telling the truth, but it would make everything he said irrelevant. If he said no, he knew, it would hurt Kate, but it was maybe the only way to make what he'd said work and keep Kate free. He remembered the day that the survivors hiked to the radio tower on the island. He remembered telling Kate that he loved her. It was something that perhaps even Jack didn't know now. Did he love her?

Kate was ringing her fingers under the table. She knew what he would say would affect the overall outcome of the trial, but she hoped for a certain answer. She didn't really want to know, but deep inside her she _had_ to know.

"Dr. Shepard?" Dunbrook pushed. "Do you love Miss Austen?"

Jack had to answer, sooner or later. And he was willing to sacrifice Kate's feelings for her freedom; it would be better for everyone that way, and maybe Jack could still fix it afterwards. "No. Not anymore." He could hear the gallery murmuring. He could see Kate trying to process it. He hated his answer, but it was the only way now.

 _ **End of flashback**_

Jack sat on a bench where he had a clear view of the door that led into where Kate was being held. He was ready to jump up and make up anything to stop someone who might want to go in and threaten the chance of getting Kate out. He had already run through his head what to say to stall someone as long as he could. Luckily, he didn't have to. Soon, James, Jin, and Miles came out with Kate. They were just walking, which told Jack that somehow James was able to squeeze in a good lie. The fact that Kate was out safely, and they weren't running for life, relieved him. But they still weren't out of the woods.

"Got her shoes?" James said as they walked up to Jack who was waiting at a safe distance.

"Yeah, here" Jack said as he handed James Kate's boots. "You okay?" He asked. Kate still couldn't find words. Not even "yeah" seemed like it would cut it to her.

"Here" Jin said as he pulled a small pocket knife out of his pocket. Kate held up her hands, and Jin cut the zip ties the were bounding her hands together. Kate rubbed her wrists for a moment, then accepted the boots James held out to her.

"Kate, talk to me" Jack said as she bent over to put in her shoes.

Kate froze for a short moment, then her small voice was welcomed into Jack's ears. "I stayed off my feet..." Kate offered, referring to the words that Jack and Kate shared last. Jack accepted the few words, and gave a tiny ghost of a smile.

Kate was inwardly scolding herself for the stupid words she just said. _"I stayed of my feet"?_ That was the least bit of their problems right now. Kate finished putting on her boots and stood back up. She would look at Jack, or James, or anyone. She keep her eyes on the ground or the sky behind them. Jack noticed this.

"Hey" He said, grabbing her arm. She turned and looked into his eyes, but it seemed to scare her. "What's wrong, Kate? Did they hurt you?"

"No, Jack. I just...We should get going."

"We're gonna meet Juliet and Hurley at grid 23, so we better get a move on it. We ain't got long before they find out I was lyin'." James said. The five jogged until they were far enough from the barracks to not be seen. It would still be quite a walk to grid 23, it was almost made entirely in silence. It took them about an hour to get from dharmaville to where Juliet and Hurley were waiting, but to the five it seemed like they walked on into the night forever.

"Kate" Juliet said as she stepped out of the van and ran to Kate. Juliet hugged her tight, glad that her friend was okay. Juliet smiled over Kate's shoulder to James, a silent 'thank you' for staying safe and bringing Kate back.

Horace stepped down into the monitoring room.

"Horace," Phil said.

"Phil, have you seen LaFleur? Or Kwon?" Horace said, hurried.

"Yeah, they took her about an hour ago."

" _What?!_ What do you mean, 'they took her'?"

"They-they came and got her already. James, Jin, and Miles. They took Austen to the dock to go to hydra island. They said you authorized it"

"Damn it!" Horace yelled. He instantly knew what had just happened. He grabbed his radio from his belt and pressed the call button. "Alert, all security! We have a breach. Find LaFleur!"

 **A/N: e h this one wasn't the best of the series ;-; leave a review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey y'all! I'm glad so many of you are reading! Yeah, I guess I did get mixed up a bit on the jack-and-Kate-not-talking stuff XD I haven't actually watched in a while - I only watch random episodes here and there to get flashbacks right and sometimes it gets out of context and whatnot what? Who? Nah, I'm not making excuses...**

 **And yeah, I was gonna give them trouble getting out of dharmaville but I figured there's already (and will be) enough drama. Our Losties get it easy this time. But for how long?**

 ***evil laughter***

Jack sat at the tree line with his feet in the sand, staring out at the ocean. They had arrived at the beach at a very late hour, and no sleep was to be had for any of them.

 _ **Flashback**_

Kate was overwhelmed with the shock of what she and Jack had just seen. Her reaction now was to run. She put her hand on the gearshift and moved it to reverse, but he stopped her, gently placing his hand on top of hers.

"Wait" He said to her. The rain poured down the window behind him, and thunder clapped softly as he spoke.

"What am I waiting for, Jack?" She asked. She just wanted to leave, to take Aaron and run to where it might be safe.

"Wait, I just...Let's just think about this for a minute." He knew what she was going to do, and he didn't want that for her. He didn't want her to run again. He didn't want to lose her again.

"She _knows_."

"Maybe she doesn't know"

"No, she knows about Aaron and that's all that matters!"

Jack sighed and looked out the window to where Claire's mother's room was. Kate was probably right, but they couldn't just run. It wasn't an option - not to Jack. Kate's instinct was always to run, but Jack's was to fix. "Let me go talk to her" he said.

" _What?_ " she almost whispered.

"If I can just explain to her why we did it, maybe if I can get her to understand why...She'll listen to me."

Kate wouldn't say anything. A million things were rushing through her head. She was crying now, silently.

"I can fix this, Kate. I can fix it." He said to her. He _needed_ to fix it. So she wouldn't run - so he could keep her safe.

 _ **End if Flashback**_

Jack looked over to his right, and just a little bit down the beach was Kate, who was talking quietly with Juliet. He listened closely, their soft voices barely audible above the waves. But he couldn't make out what they were saying; he could only hear their voices.

"Are you mad at us?" Kate asked Juliet, looking out at the sea. They sat next to each other, down where the wave could just slightly nip at their toes when the tide rolled in. They just stared at the ocean, not making eye contact. It seemed safer that way.

"For what?"

"Coming back."

"John left the island, to bring you back. He said that everything that was happening, was happening because you left. And that bringing you back was the only way to fix it. To make it stop. I don't know what he said to you, but maybe you believed you were coming back to help us. And that, Kate, is just your heart in the right place. You didn't know what coming back would do."

"So, the dharma initiative." Kate said, trying to change the subject. Now was the only time Kate had the chance to safely talk about it, and she had so many questions. "Meet anyone I'm gonna know in 30 years?"

"Besides 12-year-old Ben?" They both chuckled a little bit, but Juliet's face straightened as she gave Kate the straight answer. "I helped deliver Ethan."

"What?" Kate looked over at Juliet to see if she was serious, or maybe she was talking about someone else.

"The day before you came back, Ethan was born."

"Oh.." Kate looked back out at the ocean. _Okay then,_ She thought. "Um, I'm gonna get some water." Kate got up and walked towards the tree line, but she just kept walking when she got there. She didn't slow down, turn around, or stop. Kate walked a small ways before she stopped in a small clearing - what, in 30 years, would be Sun's garden.

Jack saw Kate walk into the trees, looking disoriented and dazed out. Out of concern and curiosity, he got up from his spot in the shade and followed her. He watched through leaves as she stepped into a clearing and stopped. She just froze, as if her mind was paralyzed.

Kate just stared at nothingness, lost completely in her head. For a moment, her absentminded-ness was peaceful, serene. It was a welcomed change from the chaos of the last few days. But reality came back to her, and she snapped out of the peaceful place her mind wandered to. She burst into tears, not holding anything back. She kept telling herself that she had messed up. Ruined everything that James, Juliet, Miles, and Jin had. Left 'her son' thousands of miles away with someone he'd never met. Every mistake that she'd ever made seemed to come back to her. She even blamed herself for the evilness that Ben would show 30 years later.

Jack hesitated as he watched Kate cry. He felt bad that she was alone, but maybe she needed the space. But watching her just hold herself and sob broke his heart. He felt a tugging that he couldn't fight, some odd force that pushed him into the clearing with Kate. "Kate?" He asked softly, as if she might shatter if he spoke too loud. She just kept crying, not even looking at him. He approached slowly, not wanting to scare her or make her uncomfortable. "Hey," he said in a voice he used only with Kate. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug.

She didn't fight it, in fact, she pulled herself closer to him. Her arms were tucked between their chests, and he held her close with her head tucked under his chin. They just stood there, waiting. Waiting for each other to make a move or speak a word.

Jack could feel the spot on his chest where Kate's tears soaked through his shirt. They seemed to burn right through his chest and into his heart.

"I'm - I can't. I can't do this." Kate said, her crying falling to silence. She stayed in Jack's embrace, not wanting it to ever end. It was warm, and safe. The safest Kate felt since she and Jack broke up.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. You don't have to do it alone." Jack moved one hand to stroke her dark curls. Jack had seen Kate angry, scared, sad, but never like this. He'd never seen her just...break. He'd seen her cry, sob, but somehow this was different. This seemed colder, deeper. He could almost hear her thoughts screaming at her. He knew somehow _why_ she was doing this, he could just feel her regret. He could hear her, even though she didn't speak.

 _ **Flashback**_

"Is this it?" Jack asked, holding the green envelope out to her. "Is this what you wanted?"

Kate took it, without speaking or looking at him. Jack stood up, but he wouldn't leave. He had to know what it was. She didn't want him there, she didn't want him to see, but she opened it anyway. She gently took out a toy airplane.

Jack was confused. He'd thought it might be a letter, or something just...different. "What is it?" He asked.

Kate took a moment before answering. "It's nothing" she said as she stood up to walk away.

"What is it, Kate?" He grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

"You wouldn't understand."

"I want the truth. Just this once. What is it?"

"It belonged to the man I loved." It wasn't a lie. She loved Tom.

"The truth." Jack persisted. How could she have loved someone?

"It belonged to the man I loved!"

"Stop lying to me!" He was yelling now. He was angry, confused.

"I'm not!" Kate cried. She really didn't blame him for not trusting her, she hadn't done much to earn it.

"Tell me the truth!"

"It belonged to the man I killed!" She finally broke. She sat down and sobbed, gripping the airplane tightly. She really did love Tom, but she was responsible for his death.

Jack didn't know what to think. It explained almost everything: the marshal, the mugshot. But it didn't explain Kate. Jack didn't believe that she was capable of murder, not even now as she confessed - not cold blooded murder. Maybe she _did_ kill someone, but what he knew of her told him there must have been some reason. He must've hurt her, she must've not meant to kill him, somehow he just couldn't see her killing for no reason. Little did he know, the man whom the plane belonged to didn't have a reason to die, and Kate didn't kill him. She blamed herself for it, but she didn't mean to get him involved. She didn't mean for him to get hurt.

 _ **End of flashback**_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey hey! Thanks for all the reviews!**

 **So, I know that during this timeline the smoke monster aka Man In Black aka John Locke now I is supposed to be on Hydra Island in 2007 with Sun and La Pidus and that whole circus butttt...well, I need the smoke monster. So...yeah. I don't know what to tell you to explain how the smoke monster ends up with our Losties in 1977 without messing up the other storyline but, well, yeah. Whatever. Okay.**

Jack and Kate stood there in the clearing, still embracing. Kate had stopped crying; she felt so warm and safe there with Jack. Jack seemed to understand what it meant for Kate, and he didn't for a second let her go - he wouldn't, not until she was ready. He felt whole, standing there with Kate in his arms. When he and Kate had broken up, he always felt so weighted down, so empty, so lonely.

Kate didn't want to let go, but she thought maybe Jack was getting tired of this. She took a small step back and looked into his eyes. They seemed so full and peaceful, and she could see no anger in them. That told her that she was safe, and that maybe it wasn't all her fault. "Thank you" she said silently.

Jack just nodded at her and smiled. "You gonna be okay?" He asked her.

She was about to answer, but before she could speak, a pillar of smoke burst out of the ground and shot up into the sky only a few yards away from them. It's metallic ticking and cold howling froze Kate, but only for a second before Jack pulled her away.

"Run!" He screamed at her.

"Blondie" James greeted Juliet as he walked up to where she sat in the sand. "May I join you?" He asked, wearing his usual sarcastic yet warm grin.

"You may" she smiled up st him.

"Stop staring" Miles said to Hurley as they sat at the tree line having a snack.

"Sorry dude. They're just...you know" Hurley said, taking a bite from his granola bar.

"In love?" Jin hinted to Hurley, smiling.

"Yeah, dude. That." They watched from the shade of the still trees as James handed Juliet an Apollo candy bar and the two smiled and laughed.

"Thank you" Juliet said to James as she accepted the candy bar. "Apollo candy bars. My favorite." She joked.

"Come on, lady! Gimme a break that dharma stuff's good!" He said back to her, playfully pushing on her shoulder. They laughed, relieved that maybe the worst part was over. But it hadn't even started yet.

Juliet twirled the candy bar between her hands, not really feeling like eating it. She smiled over at James again, and then they heard it. That...creature. They saw it shoot up into the sky then spiral back down, pursuing something - someone.

"Dude!" Hurley shouted, jumping up from the rock he sat on. The three men just stood there, staring at the sky where it loomed for a few short moments before it darted into the trees.

"Oh my god, Jake and Kate! They're out there, James!" Juliet said to James. They darted to the trees and into the jungle without really thinking, but they couldn't just leave Jack and Kate out there. Miles and Jin followed quickly after them, but Hurley hesitated behind before starting to run.

"Guys, guys wait up!" Hurley shouted, but to no means. The others kept running to where the sounds came from.

Jack held Kate's hand tightly as they ran through the jungle. He could run faster than her, but he didn't want to risk losing her behind him. They could hear it rustling through leaves, snapping branches, roaring as it trailed behind them. It began to rain lightly, the sound of the drops hitting the leaves adding an eerie feeling to the terror.

Kate tripped, letting go of Jack's hand. He didn't realize she was gone until he dove into the sheltering vines of a tree. His hand was still clamped shut, but Kate's hand wasn't in it. "Kate? Kate! KATE!" He yelled.

Kate quickly picked herself back up, knowing it wasn't far behind. She turned in disoriented circles, looking for which way Jack went. She didn't decide which direction to run yet, but as she saw the smoke burst through the foliage, she just _ran_. She sloshed over the creek and into a tree that was surrounded in vines.

 _ **Flahback**_

They were right behind her. Now, they weren't. She didn't see Jack or Charlie, anywhere. She could still hear it far off, roaring and howling. "JACK!" She screamed, her voice cracking. Kate couldn't bear the thought that maybe it'd get Jack, and do to him what it did to the pilot only moments before. She stood under the tree, sobbing and struggling to catch her breath.

It stomped in the distance, moving farther away from her as the thunder boomed above her. Kate closed her eyes, and remembered what Jack said to her the first time they met. She began to count out loud to herself, hoping that maybe when she was done she'd wake up from a dream. "1...2...3...4..."

 _ **End of Flashback**_

"...5." Kate whispered from where she crouched under the vines. She knew that Jack was safe, because the monster had circled right around the tree where Kate was, then left in the opposite direction. She wished she'd called to Jack for help when she tripped, but she figured that maybe this way he'd be safer.

"Kate!" Jack called again. The jungle was almost complete still now, with only the sound of the light rain meeting Jack's ears. He hated himself for letting Kate go. He hated himself for even making her come back to the island in the first place.

He didn't know how far he ran without her, or how far she'd run in another direction - if she'd even made it. Not knowing where she was or if she was okay was killing him. "Kate!"

Kate slumped down, leaning against the tree's vines. She covered her mouth with her hand, and started to cry. It'd been _way_ to close that time. When she crossed the creek she could almost feel it nipping at her back, and when it circled the tree she hid in, she could picture her dead body blood covered laying on the ground. She couldn't believe it. She thought for three years that this was over, that they were safe and free. It seemed now that everything they'd believed was wrong.

"I don't hear it anymore" Juliet said to James. "Which way did it go?"

"Jack! Kate!" James yelled. "Doc!" James's voice echoed through the quiet jungle, dampened by the cool rain.

"Dudes! Thank goodness. I found you." Hurley said as he stepped into the clearing. "Where're Jack and Kate?" He asked, still out of breath.

Juliet opened her mouth to speak, but as if on cue, they heard Jack's voice. "Kate!" It cracked as it rang out through the wet leaves.

"Jack!" Juliet called out, hoping Jack could hear her. "Jack, we're over here!"

Jack could hear a faint sound replying to his calls. It became clearer as he stepped through shrubbery towards its sound. "Kate?" He hoped that maybe it was Kate answering him. He could tell it was a woman's voice, but he couldn't recognize it.

"Jack!" He heard again. This time it came from a man who Jack could recognize as James.

"James? Keep yelling" Jack said, tracing the sounds back.

"Jack!" James shouted again. Jack stepped over a fallen tree and into the clearing where James, Juliet, Jin, Hurley, and Miles were.

"Kate?" He said as he rushed into the clearing. He was disappointed when he didn't see Kate.

"Where's Kate?" James asked.

"I-I don't know" Jack said, his voice shaking.

"What do you mean you don't know? You were with her!" James said, raising his voice.

"I-"

"You guys were out here together!"

"James!" Juliet said, trying to stop the fight that was about to happen.

"You left her?" James went on.

"I let her go!" Jack wailed as he started to break down. "I...I let go..."

"Jack" Juliet said softly.

"I- I had her. I had her hand...and I let go."

 **A/N: sorry this one's kinda short...heh. Like I always say, maties, read and review! Wait...you already read if you're here...XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm back, y'all! Uh, sorry for updating late...**

 **Thanks again for every single review! Here's your next chapter!**

Kate stood up, knowing she had to find Jack. He was probably looking for her, and worried out of his mind. "Jack?" She called out. "Jack?" She said a bit louder. Her voice shook as his name bounced off her lips. She remembered crossing the creek, and from there she'd run pretty much a straight line from where she tripped. Now that the monster was gone, when she got to where she fell she could have time to look for Jack's tracks - if the rain didn't wash them away. "Jack!" She called as she crossed back over the creek.

Jack sat down on a rock and hung his head. "We have to find her" he suddenly said.

"Jack-" Juliet started.

"No, we have to find her. She's still out there, and she-"

"Jack!" They all heard a voice call out.

Jack's head snapped up. He was hearing things. He _had_ to be.

"Jack!" The voice came again.

"Kate!" Juliet laughed with relief. "It's Kate!"

Jack knew he couldn't be hearing things now - not if Juliet heard it too. Jack could tell that everyone heard it by the relieved smiles on their faces. "Kate!" He yelled, his face beaming. "Kate, I'm here!" He started bounding into the direction her soft voice flowed from, the others right behind him.

 _ **Flashback**_

Kate was dirty, sweaty, and tired. But she wouldn't stop. Not until she knew Jack was safe. She lifted out another rock and passed it to Michael, involuntarily slowing her pace so that they took take the stones from her so she could reach for the next.

Walt was playing with Vincent, just a little bit away from where the others worked to dig a tunnel. "Hey, it's the Doctor!" He said, pointing.

Kate whipped her head around, and much to her relief saw Charlie and Jack come around the corner. She ran over to him and gave him the biggest hug, glad that he was okay. She felt like she could breathe again. She'd run all the way from the hill she was on with Sawyer, waiting to light the flare. She'd lifted out rock after rock, hoping that the next would let her see through a hole to where Jack was, but it never did.

 _ **End of Flashback**_

"Jack!" Kate yelled again. She could hear Jack and the others running toward her, and she was soon running toward them.

"Kate! Kate, I'm comi-" Jack was cut off by a harsh, cold voice.

"Stop right there" it commanded from behind the group. They could hear a gun cocking, and it froze them all in place.

"Hands up" It said.

They all raised their hands and turned slowly, to see who it was that had a gun to them.

"Roger" Juliet stated the name of the man who was pointing the gun and had told them to stop running.

"Jack!" Kate called again, will running toward them.

 _Oh god, no! No no no!_ Jack's stomach twisted as he screamed to himself. He hoped that Roger didn't hear, that maybe Kate would trip or something and not run into them, because if she did, it wouldn't turn out good. _Kate, stop! Please!_ He silently begged. Kate always had good instincts, and maybe some part of her could sense his silent message. He certainly hoped so.

Kate stopped dead in her tracks. Something was wrong. Miserably wrong. She couldn't hear Jack laughing and calling anymore. She couldn't hear the leaves rustling as they ran towards her. She wondered if she should call out again, but the better part of her reminded her that in this jungle, silence paid.

"Well, Jack. 'That woman. Kate.'? Where is she?" Roger demanded. The man was now driven by rage and hate. Though he spent all those years hating Ben, he would make someone pay for taking his boy. And even as Ben would say 27 years later, 'What wouldn't a man do to get his son back'?

"Roger I-"

"WHERE IS SHE?!" He yelled again. Roger wasn't _only_ driven by his anger, but also the one too many drinks he'd had.

"Roger, where's Horace?" Juliet asked, noticing that they were only being held by one man, one gun.

"I shot 'em" Roger said coldly. "He wouldn't let me come out and look for you myself. I shot him."

The cold statement stung at James and Juliet. Although Horace wasn't on their side, he was a good man, and had become their friend. It didn't take even a fraction of their three years there to become friends with Horace and trust him.

Kate could hear a man yelling, but she didn't register it as Jack, James, or anyone else in their group. She stepped carefully over leaves and branches, avoiding making any sounds at all. As she approached slowly in the direction of the yelling, her mind raced through everything that could've gone wrong, or still could. But she was coming. She had Jack's back.

 _ **Flashback**_

Jack, Kate, and Sawyer(James) watched as Michael steered the small boat away from the dock. How could he betray them like this? Sacrifice three lives for one?

The three were gagged, and their hands tied behind theirs backs. But that didn't stop their minds from racing, screaming, swirling around in confusion.

The man they once knew as Henry Gale nodded, and they were forced up onto their feet. Now they'd just have to survive through one day at a time, wondering if they'd wake up the next and be okay. But before anything else could happen, Jack and Kate locked eyes.

He could see the fear in her. She could see the anger in his. Kate pushed back the fear and questions, and blinked once. She didn't know if Jack would get the message, but her answer soon came when his eyes softened.

The way Kate looked at him and blinked told him that she was still behind him. She still trusted him, and she wasn't mad at him for not telling her and Sawyer the plan sooner. That she still had his back. He wanted to speak to her and tell her he'd fix it, that it'd all be okay, but the black cloth that wrapped around his head stopped him. Kate was the last thing he saw before a bag was put over his head. Now they were in the hands of the strangers who had already stolen so much from them.

 ** _End of flashback_**

Kate peeked through the leaves to where her friends were being held at gun point. Now the hard part was deciding which road to take - sneaking up on Roger from behind, or just walking out of the bushes and talking him down. She was more comfortable with option 2, but something told her it wouldn't work.

She circled around to where she was behind Roger, and had a clear of view of everyone else.

"You're gonna tell me where he is!" Roger demanded.

"We don't-" Jack tried, but was cut off again by Roger.

"You're gonna tell me or I'll shoot one of you!"

Kate stepped out slowly from the bushes behind Roger, trying not to alert him but catch the attention of the others so they could run when she jumped him. She mouthed to them, "one..."

Jack filled with fear when he saw Kate step out behind Roger. She was going to try something, and it wasn't going to turn out good. He saw her mouth he word "one", and he subtly shook his head. _Don't do it, Kate_ he silently screamed to himself.

Jack, Juliet, and everyone else's eyes were now on Kate. They all knew what was about to happen, and they waited for their cue to duck then jump in and help.

"Two..." Kate mouthed. She took a moment to lock eyes with every single one of them, making sure they all knew what to do.

"KATE, DONT!" Jack yelled as "three" began to come off her mouth. Jack sprinted forward as Roger turned around to see what he was yelling at.

There was a short struggle, then it all seemed to go black right there. Jack was unsure of what was happening, or happened. There was a small moment where everything seemed silent, just the sound of the rain beating down onto the leaves. Then a single shot rang out. It hung in the air, pulling Jack back into the present as it ripped through the jungle like thunder.

 **A/N: uh, yeah. This one wasn't the best either. Leave a review! I should be able rock update again before the weekend.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: well, here it is! Thanks again for all the reviews! I'm glad you all like the flashbacks, heh. I'm using all my favorite Jate scenes...**

 **Yes, I definitely plan to complicate things with James and Juliet...perhaps a little later, though. I'm also considering a huge plot twist for James..but for now, here's chapter 9!**

 **P.S happy Friday the 13th ;)**

"KATE, DONT!" Jack yelled as "three" began to come off her mouth. Jack sprinted forward as Roger turned around to see what he was yelling at.

Jack lunged at Roger while his back was turned and his gun pointed at Kate, while Kate tried to grab the gun. But Roger was strong - any man is when he's drunk and angry, but Roger especially.

Roger threw Jack onto the ground as soon as he felt him hit his back, and everything for Jack, for a short moment, paused. But the struggle behind him continued.

"Jack!" Juliet ran to Jack to make sure he was okay, while James tried to help Kate.

Jack was on his hands and knees, just frozen on the ground. Until he heard the gun go off. The gun went off, and then everything was silent again. Silent, except for the sound of James knocking Roger unconscious that soon followed after the gun shot.

"Kate!" James yelled, rushing to her side as she crouched over in pain holding her side. "Jack!" James yelled to the man kneeling on the ground.

Jack was almost instantly at Kate's other side, supporting her with the help of James. They set her down to lean against a tree, as Jack took off his jumpsuit and wadded it up to stop Kate's bleeding.

"Jack?" Kate asked weakly.

"I'm here, Kate. Just breathe. You'll be okay, just breathe for me Kate." Jack said frantically as he put pressure on her wound. His stomach was twisting inside him, and his hands shaking.

"Jack, Aaron-" Kate had something she needed to tell Jack. He needed to hear it. She needed him too.

 _ **Flashback**_

Jack sat staring at the waves roll in and out. He sat right where the water barely nipped at his toes. He heard footsteps in the sand behind him, but didn't bother to see who it was. He knew who it was.

Kate sat down next to Jack in the warm sand, watching as the sun sunk into the sea. "I wanna tell you what I did - why he was after me." She said to him.

"I don't want to know" Jack said to her. A piece of him wanted to, but another part of him wanted to continue to see the Kate he already knew. The kind, adventurous, loving, determined Kate. "It doesn't matter, Kate. Who we were, what we did before this, before the crash. It doesn't really -" Jack trailed off.

Kate appreciated his respect, but she also wished she could be free of the secret. She didn't want to hide or run any more.

"Three days ago, we all died. We should all be able to start over." Jack wanted everyone to have this chance, but he was also including himself. He didn't want anyone to know about who he'd been, his father, anything. He just wanted to do things differently and forget.

"Okay." Kate said.

"Okay?"

Kate just nodded her head and looked out at the waves.

 ** _End orb flashback_**

"Shh, Kate, it's fine. Don't try to talk" Jack was trying to hold back his tears as his best efforts to not scare Kate, but it wasn't working very well. She was already scared, and he was already crying.

"Jack, Aaron's with - he's with Claire's mother" Kate insisted, ignoring Jack. "I came back to find Claire." She said with tearing eyes.

Jack just shook his head as he tried to stop the bleeding, the others watching from behind him. James stood beside Kate, looking down at the two in shock of what was happening. He could feel Kate's blood on his hands from when he helped her to the ground. He could feel it's warmth fading as the cold, light rain ever so slowly washed it off.

"Kate, listen to me-" Jack started as he continued to wad up his dharma jumpsuit to catch more blood.

"Jack," Kate placed her hands on Jack's. "You can't fix this" She said to him crying, yet she seemed at peace. "Just be here with me."

Jack froze. He _needed_ to save her. But he couldn't. The only next thing he could do was give Kate his company, so he simply knelt beside her comforting her, still keeping the now crimson jumpsuit over her wound. "Kate, I'm sorry" He said crying.

"For what?" Kate asked.

"Everything. Walking away, making you come back...everything."

"Hey, promise me something?"

Jack just nodded.

"Stay safe, take care of Aaron."

"Okay"

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Kate?"

"Don't look back. Don't try to fix it. Just live." Kate looked straight into his eyes, crying with him as the minutes passed.

Jack cried for a bit more, then collected himself enough to keep talking to her. "Do you remember the first night we spent here?"

Kate nodded.

 _ **Flashback**_

"We must've been at about 40,000 feet when it happened." Jack said, holding up the leaf-made-plane. "Hit an air pocket, dropped maybe...200 feet? The turbulence was..." Jack sighed as the fire cracked and popped, the heat bouncing off his face. "I blacked out."

"I didn't. I saw the whole thing" She said. She wished that she _had_ blacked out, that she didn't have to go through that trauma and have it engraved in her brain, but she didn't blackout. "I knew that the tail was gone, but I couldn't bring myself to look back. And then the...the front end of the plane broke off."

"Well, its not here on the beach. Neither is the tail. We need to figure out which way we came in."

"Why?"

"Cause there's a chance we might be able to find the cockpit. If it's intact, we might be able to find a transceiver, we could send out a signal, help the rescue party find us."

"How do you know all that?"

"Took a couple flying lessons. Wasn't for me." Jack said as he threw the little leaf plane into the fire.

"I saw some smoke. Just through the valley" Kate said. She watched as Jack thought, then spoke up again. "If you're thinking about going for the cockpit, I'm coming with you."

Jack thought for a bit more, then realized he missed an important detail. "I don't know your name." He said, awkwardly chuckling.

"I'm Kate" she smiled.

"Jack" He replied.

 _ **End of flashback**_

"I love you, Jack." Kate said, tears streaming down her freckled face.

Jack couldn't look into her pained face. He stared at the ground, crying as she spoke the words. He heard her sniffle one more time, then there were no more sounds from her. His head snapped up. "Kate?" He cupped her face in his hands and held it as her head went limp and hung down. "Kate!" Her eyes were closed, and the tears that laid on her cheeks mixed with the light rain as it sprinkled down onto her lifeless face. "Kate, wake up!" He pleaded between sobs.

Cries and gasps for air could be heard behind him, as he laid Kate flat on the ground and placed his hands one on top of the other on her chest.

Hurley hung his head and cried silently, they way he did for Charlie. Jin collapsed against a tree, tears flowing freely down his face. Juliet tried to catch her breath, but it seemed as if there was no air in her lungs. James walked slowly to Juliet and hugged her tight, resting his head on hers as his tears flowed down into her hair. Miles barely knew her, but he found himself hopeful - perhaps in denial, as Jack began compressions.

 _ **Flashback**_

"Excuse me!" Jack said as he saw a woman appear through the trees.

 _ **End ignores flashback**_

"2..3..." Jack counted as he gave his all into pumping life back into her. He stooped down and put his lips on hers, holding her nose closed and her head back as he breathed into her. "Come on, Kate" He urged as he went back to compressions. Jack continued this for several minutes, repeating the same words over and over, hoping that Kate would snap back to life.

 ** _Flashback_**

The woman just looked at him in silence - perhaps in shock from the crash.

"Did you ever use a needle?" Jack asked, desperate for help with his wound. But she looked dazed, and he thought to himself he'd be lucky if she even spoke English.

 _ **End of flashback**_

The others stood watching, crying and trembling as Jack did his best. James left Juliet's side and walked slowly to Jack. He watched as Jack gave her another breath and did a few more compressions, before he knelt down beside Kate's still form. He ducked his head and cried a few tears, then got back up to his feet. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He tried again, this time a small squeak sounding like "ack". "Jack," he said again, more firmly. Jack never acknowledged he was there - neither when he knelt down beside Kate nor when he spoke to him. "Jack..." James gently grabbed Jack's upper arm and pulled, trying to get him to stop.

 _ **Flashback**_

She just continued to looked at him, not speaking a word.

"Did you ever patch a pair of jeans?" He tried again.

 _ **End of flashback**_

Jack flung to his feet and yanked his arm away from the southerner's grasp. "James, dammit, if you get in my way I will kill you!" Jack made his point, and immediately knelt back down and started compressions. James just backed away, the pang in his chest pulling him back to Juliet.

 _ **Flashback**_

"I uh, I made the drapes in my apartment" she answered.

"That's great. Listen, do you have a minute?"

 _ **End of flashback**_

Jack stopped compressions, just long enough to raise his fist and pound it back down on Kate's chest. He did so again, and again, and again, hoping that the shock would bring Kate's heart back. "Come on, Kate!" He yelled desperately.

"Jack!" Juliet cried, letting go of James's hand to move on step towards Jack.

Jack kept going, pounding harder and with more determination each time. He didn't understand. It worked with Charlie. He fixed him. Why wouldn't it work on Kate? Surely he could fix Kate. He _had_ to.

"Jack, stop!" Juliet pleaded again, still moving closer. "Jack, please, Jack, she's gone." She said between sobs. It hurt Juliet to say this, but it hurt her more to just standby and watch him as he beat Kate's body - though it was all with good intentions.

"Dammit, Kate, come on!" Jack shouted again.

"Stop. Please Jack!" Juliet was sobbing now, as she tried desperately to grab the arm Jack was using to pound on Kate's chest. "Jack, Jack, please, just-" she grabbed ahold of his arm and held it tight, and he didn't fight too hard this time.

CPR was exhausting enough, but trying to beat life back into your soulmate while sobbing your eyes out is bound to drain your energy fast. Jack let Juliet guide his arm gently down, then he broke down in tears again. Jack, for the most part, didn't cry a whole bunch while he was giving Kate compressions. No, for that part he was mostly angry, desperate, and determined. He poured everything he could into her, but it was to no means.

Juliet let go of Jack's arm as he began to sob again. "I'm sorry, Kate. I'm so sorry" Jack cried as he held Kate's limp body in his arms.

 **Flashback**

Jack knelt on the ground, examining the wound on his side. He heard foliage rustling, and looked up to see someone coming through the trees, rubbing her bruised wrists.

"Excuse me!" Jack said as he saw the woman appear through the trees.

She didn't answer - she just looked at him. Jack figured she was probably in shock, or didn't speak English.

"Did you ever use a needle?" Jack had to try.

She just continued to look at him. She was confused as to the relevancy of this random question, especially after the events that just happened.

"Did you ever patch a pair of jeans?" Jack tried again.

"I uh, I made the drapes in my apartment" she answered.

"That's great. Listen, do you have a minute?"

And that was when they first exchanged glances and words. When their lives became forever a part of each other.

 _ **End of Flashback**_

 **A/N: Uh, well, hope you enjoyed this fic? Don't worry, I'm not quite done with this one ;) I'm gonna TRY to get this to at least 15 chapters, and then after that I have another one planned hats happier. I promise 3**

 **leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry this took me so long to get posted! I've actually had this written for several weeks, but I was they trying to improve it, but then I just the gave up and forgot XD here it is; what may be the last St chapter of my Lost fic.**

They all cried and waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality could only have been less than two hours.

Jack was exhausted, but he wouldn't sleep. Even if he wanted to -which he didn't, he wouldn't sleep. Jack's mind was tearing him apart. One part wanted to lash out; repay Roger what he'd done to Kate. Make sure he knew what he'd done. The other part just wanted to hold Kate forever and never let go.

 _ **Flashback**_

"I'm sorry" Kate said as she got up from her seat on a log and turned to leave.

"Are you?" Jack asked. He wasn't angry with her, he just wanted to understand why she left. Why she _ran_.

Kate turned to face him, with a disgusted and insulted look on her face. "Yeah, I'm sorry." Kate stepped closer "I'm sorry that I am not as _perfect_ as you!" She began to raise her voice, but it was somehow more of a painful than angry tone. "I'm sorry that I'm not as good!"

Jack stepped back and held up his hands, as if Kate would shatter if he touched her. "Wh-what's going on with you?" He took his tone down a few notches, sorry that he was yelling at her earlier. This was not the Kate he knew. Here she was, angry, yelling, and burning her throat trying to hide her tears from Jack.

"Just forget it" Kate said in a bitter tone, and turned to walk away.

"No, don't walk away from me, no." Jack grabbed her wrist, anxious to keep her there with him.

"Let go of me!" Kate yelled, resisting his strong grip.

"Kate! Kate, Kate, Kate." Jack kept his hold on her and pulled her close to him, scooping her body into his arms.

"Don't! I-" Kate resisted one last time, before her voice cracked into a sob. She gave in to the inviting warmth of Jack's chest and folded her arms between them, letting Jack hold her.

Jack held onto her as if he was holding her together. As if she would break apart and fall in pieces to the ground. "It's okay. It's okay." Jack said in a soft voice he spoke only to Kate with. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt, but he didn't care. He didn't move. He just held her with a tight, but gentle grip. "Kate."

"This place...this place is crazy." Kate said between sobs. "I can't. It's driving me nuts."

Jack stepped back and looked into her face, keeping his hands on her shoulders. "I know. It's okay. It's alright." He said, looking straight into her eyes. This was the second he'd seen her break down, but this time was different. This time, the island, the crash, it was all finally getting to her. It was all starting to eat away at her. This time, Jack couldn't be angry with her. This time he understood. This time, instead of walking away and leaving her to cry by herself, he held her. "It's alright" Jack felt sorry. Both times that Kate had cried in front of him, it had been _his_ fault. "Alright?"

Kate froze, and looked straight back into his eyes. She saw something there. It was gentle, still, sad. It was beautiful.

Neither was sure who started it, but they kissed. Jack's heart burned with passion and love, and he gave into the kiss, placing his hands back on Kate's back.

Kate held Jack's face, her mind pounding, but not as fast as her heart did.

 ** _End of Flashback_**

Kate's face had faded away so quickly to Jack. He wanted desperately to hold on to the images he had in his head of her freckles sparkling like stars, her hair a vast sea of soft curls, her gleaming jade eyes that always showed hope, even when she cried. He missed that beautiful face so much already. But now her face was pale, and her freckles seemed to fade like wet paper. He hair was matted with blood and dirt, still damp from the rain that had finally ceased only moments ago. He couldn't see her eyes anymore, but when he'd last seen them, right before she let go, they were already such a dank color grey.

Jack gently brushed a stray lock of her deep brown hair from her face, tucking it carefully behind her ear. He knew Kate didn't blame him, but he also knew that it _was_ his fault. In every way, right down to the first time he ever argued with Kate. Right before she passed, Kate told Jack that she loved him. But did _she_ know that _Jack_ loved _her_? The last time he'd said it to her was when he proposed to her, but so much time had already passed since then. He even before Kate told him why she came back that she didn't come back _for_ him or _because_ of him. She was still angry with him, even when she showed up at his house the night before their flight left L.A.

Jack knew what he had to do now. He had to find Claire. For Kate. He'd find Claire, and then keep his promise to her and help take care of Aaron. But the staying safe part? That might be hard, especially here on this god forsaken rock. It was indeed god forsaken, but it wasn't completely forsaken. The demons still haunted the jungle, the devils still roamed through the trees, the monsters still crouched behind the rocks, and the souls of innocent lives still washed up with every wave that crashed on the shores of this hellhole.

Jack returned his thinking back to the present. Not the past mistakes, good-old-days, or what would happen next. Just now, here...this. That's all there was now. That's all it'd ever be.

The others were scared to speak, each fearing what to say, and what might happen if they said it. No words came to mind, anyway.

Jack was the first to break the silence, with a sigh followed by a mumble no one could make out, but they knew he said something.

 _ **Flashback**_

Jack walked along with the rest of the people, then he saw Kate. She was sitting on a tree stump, with one leg crossed over the other and putting her shoe back on. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just got a rock in my shoe." Kate replied.

Jack knelt down beside her, trying to catch a glimpse of her emerald eyes. "He didn't mean it, you know." He said to her.

"What?" Kate asked, looking up to meet his eyes.

"Sawyer. When he said he didn't want you to go with him, he didn't mean it." Jack could tell that it had hurt her and been bothering her.

"If he didn't mean it, why'd he say it?"

"He's trying to protect you. That's why I asked you not to come back for me." Kate thought about what she had just been told. She remembered what he meant by the last part. She didn't say anything to him, so he got up and turned to leave, but she stopped him. There was still one more thing she had to know.

"Hey" she said, getting his attention just before he walked away. "Why you sticking up for Sawyer? He'd never do it for _you_."

"Because I love you." The answer came unexpected. It hit her in the stomach like a brick. Though she wished there could be something between her and Jack, she'd never seen that it _was_ there. She was always sure he was with Juliet, or Ana Lucia, or just some other girl. She had never seen that he _really_ cared for her - beyond the way he automatically cared for everyone, as a doctor, and even as the good man he just was. No, he actually loved her.

 ** _End of Flashback_**


End file.
